Oklahoma lawmakers are pushing through legislation aimed at Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry. These efforts come after Oklahomansvoted down recreational cannabis last month.
GOP leadershad said perhaps the industry is in for a reckoning because of the results. But Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat said this week he doesn’t want to go too far in cracking down on the industry.
“You don't want to overreact on a state question going down,” Treat said. “But you do see that there's a will to make modifications to make the industry safer and more responsive.”
The House’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substance Committee passed through a handful of bills - some giving more power to law enforcement, others to control what is being packaged and sold in Oklahoma.
These measures are now ready to be heard on the House floor and from there can go to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk or back to the Senate if they’ve been altered.
- SB 440 - By Sen. Jessica Garvin and Rep. T.J. Marti - would limit THC potency of medical marijuana and medical marijuana products sold in state dispensaries. The measure would limit the Delta-9 THC content in marijuana packaged products to 1,000 milligrams per package.
- SB437 - By Garvin and Marti - is a repurposed bill to have the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to rebid its contract for seed to sale technology.
- SB 264 - By Garvin and Marti - would authorize the Oklahoma Medical Marjuana Authority to create a petty cash fund. The measure establishes the application fee for medical marijuana processors at $2,500 - and also establishes the remittance fee of the same amount. The measure allows for OMMA ‘secret shoppers’ who may purchase medical marijuana or marijuana products to prove compliance with the law.
- SB 645 - By Garvin and Marti - would require all marijuana products to be prepackaged and weigh less than 3 ounces.
- SB 813 - By Garvin and Marti - would authorize the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to operate a quality assurance laboratory for compliance testing of medical marijuana businesses.
SB 801 - By Sen. Bill Coleman and Marti - would require medical marijuana commercial growers to submit monthly reports to the OMMA to monitor the amount of electricity and water they are using.
- SB 913 - by Sen. Darcy Jech and Rep. Anthony Moore - would require growers to post at least a $50,000 bond along with their application to grow on a piece of land. People who have owned land for longer than five years can operate without the bond.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
